Faith Messenger. Inside this issue: 1, March Administrative Assistant Office Hours: Monday: 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

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1 Inside this issue: Faith Messenger Faith Church Finances are Tight 1,5 Announcements/ Prayer Requests Nurse s Notes March 2016 Faith United Methodist Church Engage, Equip, and Empower! Volume Issue 3 UMW Unit Meeting Minutes Special Points of Interest: 6-7 Lent Evening Services, Page 4 Monthly Meet-Ups, Back Page March Birthdays and Anniversaries included with Calendar Administrative Assistant Office Hours: Monday: 8:00 AM-4:30 PM Tuesdays-Fridays 8:00-10:30 AM Faith Church Finances are Tight A special meeting was held during Fellowship time on Sunday, Feb.21. During that meeting those present participated in a discussion led by Dave Baldini, Council Chair, Pastor Waters, and Neil Fruechte, recently named Finance Chair. Baldini noted that Faith Church has been under financial stress for the past several years but was able to continue to operate with the help of Special Asks during the past three years. The 2015 Special Ask provided $16,647 toward the 2015 operating expenses. Three areas of Faith Church finances are identified as Apportionments which is our responsibility to our Annual Conference, Capital Improvements which are under the jurisdiction of the Trustees and cover expenses for the church and parsonage buildings and the land, and the Annual Operating Budget. This meeting focused on the Annual Operating Budget with future meetings to discuss Apportionments and Capital Improvements. Baldini further stated that the purpose of this meeting was threefold: 1. To inform/create understanding 2. To create a sense of urgency 3. To obtain feedback from the group Fruechte presented the final 2015 operating statement and the budget for He noted that ten giving units died or moved away during They accounted for over $12,000 of giving toward the operating fund which will not be received in The Council, at its January meeting, approved the budget that shows a shortfall of $26,600 after trimming the expenses as far as it felt it could. That is an increase of over $14,000 from the $12,000 shortfall projected at the beginning of It was difficult to project the revenues from Faith Church members since only 22 of the 110 giving units have turned in their Estimate of Giving for 2016, Fruechte said. He urged everyone to complete their Estimate of Giving for 2016 and turn it in to the church office or include it in the Sunday offering plate if they haven t already done so. A situation that is contributing to the finance stress of Faith Church is that 56% of our giving units contribute less than $500 toward the church s operating budget based on 2015 giving. It was noted that some people are unable to give more for various reasons, while some others have not placed a high priority on giving to support Faith Church. (Continued on page 5)

2 Pag e 2 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er Prayer Requests Remember our church members & friends who are less mobile and are unable to join us as often as they would like, including: Colony Court Memory & Care Suites: Ann Swenson Colony Court: Millie Groh, Ardella Draheim, Nina Youngberg, Leona Quast, Muriel Jenkins Lakeshore Inn: Florence Gutknecht, Hazel Henkensiefken Latham Place: Liz Corchran Oaklawn Health Care Center: Jim Keller, Bill Brooks Tower Light, St. Louis Park: Darlene Lynch Those who also need our prayers: Willie Mahler [Home Hospice] Prayer Requests from Sunday Worship: Bruce and Deb Hering, Leona Quast, Kookie Kukacka, Peter and Verna Fog, Marilyn Possin, Chuck Youngberg, Brenda and Kipp Westrum, Bud Deno, Jim Keller. A Day for Women KJLY's "A Day for Women" can do all that while you enjoy an entire day with other Christian women. This annual event is planned for April 2, 2016, at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Mankato. The guest speaker is Liz Curtis Higgs, author of Bad Girls of the Bible. Also included in the day is coffee and rolls to begin, lots of professional musical talent, a lovely lunch, and fun break-out sessions. The cost has been about $30 in the past. Registration will begin mid-february and tickets sell out quickly. I am trying to get several car loads of women from FUMC to attend. If you would like to attend, please let me know ASAP so I can be sure to get tickets for our group. Hope to hear from you! "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ." Ephesians 3:17-19 Call Linda Lohse at Faith Crafters and Stitchers Faith Crafters and Stitchers will meet Thursday, March 10, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. You are invited to bring your own project to work on or share ideas and supplies for Bazaar 2016 items that we can all work on. Snacks will be provided. Call Sandy Voshell at if you have any questions.

3 Pag e 3 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er Andy s Stink to be Cleaned Up The City of Waseca plans to clean up the Andy s Stink area by March 1. It noted that not enough water has been flowing through this area, and that is believed to have caused some water backup in basements in Waseca. Plan is to remove downed trees and other debris in the ditch along with some of the dirt that has filled in. Access to the ditch will be from the south bank of the ditch which is church property. Work will be done up to the cattails in the ditch and not further as the cattails are considered a spawning area. The plan is to use a large backhoe on tracks and load the material into large trucks parked on the south side of the ditch. In order to do this, they need to remove six large evergreens that are fairly old are not in good condition. The six trees would be replaced with six new trees. The City will bear the entire cost of this project and no assessments will be made to the Church. All the work will take place next to the ditch and no heavy equipment will travel over the blacktopped areas. In addition, any damage that might be done to the turf will be repaired by the City. Relay for Life Garage Sale If you have any items that you are putting away for Christmas or anything that you would like to donate, we would appreciate it. Examples of donations would be: furniture, clothing, jewelry, etc. If you do not have room for it, we can take it and store it now. All our proceeds go towards cancer research. Please contact Dave Baldini at or Vada Dahnert at Thank You The family of Marlene Rietfort would like to thank the Faith United Methodist Church family for their cards and prayers over the years. Special thanks to those who ushered, Bruce Wick and Tom Kuyper, as well as those who provided food and served at the luncheon. Thank you! Jolene R. and Michelle A. and families Hats March 27 th is Easter. It s time for the women at Faith to wear their Easter bonnet with all the frills upon it. Roberta Walker

4 Pag e 4 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er It has been some time since our church directory has been printed with updates. We (with a frog in my pocket) decided it is time. If you know there are changes to YOUR information, please call or the church office. is great; there is a less likely chance to err on my part. Since we are entering the digital world (kicking and fighting all the way) it would be great to collect addresses and cell phone numbers. If you do not want these published, let us (me and the frog) know that information. Thank You, Barbara Friedl & Church address is: faithwaseca@gmail.com Phone No Annual Spring Luncheon Wednesday, March 30th, 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. There is a sign-up sheet downstairs for foods and work shifts. Call Sherry with questions at Thanks in advance for helping out. Pie Auction-Sunday April 10 After Church Service Proceeds from the auction will go to Beth Stankiewicz mission trip to Haiti in November. If you would like to make a pie or two please call Sherry at Lent Evening Services Faith United Methodist, First Congregational and Waseca Wesleyan are again joining together for Wednesday night Lenten services and Maundy Thursday services. Services begin at 7:00 pm. March 2nd, First Congregational March 9th, Waseca Wesleyan March 16th, Faith United Methodist Thursday, March 24th, Maundy Thursday, Waseca Wesleyan Friday, March 25th, Community Good Friday Service (TBD)

5 Pag e 5 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er (Continued from page 1.) Faith Church Finances are Tight Discussion included expense trends in various accounts over seven years. Some examples include: 2010 Actual Category 2015 Actual 2016 Budget $ 8,234 Administrative $ 6,547 $6,300 29,681 Building and grounds 30,054 28,600 3,210 Education ,417 Worship 2,078 1,950 93,297 Total staff and related costs 97, ,113 Pastor Victor reminded everyone that we need to pray for help in finding solutions to the financial challenges faced by Faith Church. He said that our God is a generous and abundant God, and that we need to ask his continuing help. During the discussion, several ideas were presented to address this issue: 1. Pray for guidance in our decisions and actions. 2. Need for members to have better understanding of stewardship and the church budget 3. Include Extravagant Generosity theme in the worship service. 4. Use cluster groups people are more inclined to ask questions in a small group. 5. People need to have a reason to give; they need to be involved in worship; regular church attendees are more likely to give more. 6. Use Facebook or other social media to reach out. 7. Communicate in the newsletter. 8. Need to be preparing for a Special Ask this summer 9. We should recognize that we are at a point where we may need to share a pastor. May have to look at something less than a full time minister Multiple churches under one charge Partnering with another church Less than full time pastor? What might this mean? That members of the congregation will need to help more with such things as hospital and home visitations, communion for shut-ins and at Lakeshore Nursing Home, and other activities. Simpson Meal On Saturday afternoon, April 2nd, a group of adults and youth will go from Faith Church to Simpson United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, to provide a supper meal for the men and women who sleep in the overnight shelter. Around 110 persons will be served. Again this year, the meal will be catered by HyVee and taken to Minneapolis. Your support is needed to help pay for the meal as well as provide bread, milk, bananas, and cookies. A signup is available.

6 Pag e 6 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er We hear the phrase Living in the Moment but what does it really mean? How do we achieve it? I d like to give you an example from our recent trip to the Bahamas. Of course, this technique can be used in any setting. I hope to take you along in your imagination. First off, you have to put all your thoughts on an imaginary shelf and clear your mind. Then, take a couple of breaths. It s a perfect day. The sun is shining, its intensity has subsided as it is late afternoon. The warmth of the sun is still apparent on our skin as we approach the beach. We feel a light breeze on our faces. The deck gives way as we step onto the stand. Removing our shoes, we feel the sand between our toes and the soles of our feet. It s firm but gives away easily with each step. How beautiful the sand is. An occasional tiny shell can be seen. The sand is light tan and gets darker as we move to the shore line. We walk along where the waves soak into the sand. We feel an occasional wave lap over our feet. There is the repetitive sound of the waves, relaxing and calming. The smell of sea air is all around us. Looking out over the water are some small boats in the distance. The water itself is cool. The color is aqua, close to shore, then dark turquoise out further. There are patches of darkness in the water that hides the coral underneath. Standing there, we are totally at peace. God is good. When living in the moment, we engage all our senses; the sound of the waves, the smell of the sea air, etc. We exclude other thoughts. Only that which is present is recognized. The reason I can remember this trip to the beach so well is because I intentionally paid attention to the details. At anytime, in my mind I can take myself back to that beach because it is a permanent memory. If it s a gloomy day, I can close my eyes and see it and feel it. Try this technique, it does work. Often we don t capture the moment because we re busy thinking about other things, are in too big a hurry. We re comparing this time with another time. We need to stop and fully embrace this moment, this hour, this day, this life. Peace and Grace, Sherry Scholljegerdes, RN Parish Nurse s Notes Living in the Moment A delicious desert was served by the Mary Circle at 2:00 p.m. Business Meeting Monday, February 15th, 2016 UMW Unit Meeting The business meeting was opened at 2:15 p.m. by our President, Sherry Scholljegerdes. The Secretary s Report in the Church Newsletter was accepted. The Treasurer s Report, given by Sandy Voshell for Nov, Dec., and January, with a balance of $5, was approved. There was a total profit of $3, on our Nov Bazaar. A Thank you was received from the family of Rosie Peterson plus a donation of $ (Continued on next page.)

7 Pag e 7 Volume , Iss ue 3 Fait h Messeng er (Continued from previous page.) Monday, February 15th, 2016 UMW Unit Meeting Also, $ was made Dec. 22 on the pie auction for Emma Norton-a nice Thank you was read from Tanya Brownlow from Emma Norton. A recap of UMW Sunday-Leslie Hobson, Deaconess, spoke on working with the different church camps in Minnesota. Two ladies were honored at UMW Sunday: Roberta Walker and Shirley Burdick. A get-acquainted coffee was held last month. Linda Lohse, Shirley Hansen, and Berts gave us a demonstration on how to make music with a china tea pot! (You had to be there!) A discussion took place on school snacks for Hartley Angel Account-health snacks, etc. After much discussion, Linda Lohse made a motion to give $ to the Angel Account this year. Motion was seconded by Karen Ferch. It passed unanimously. SPRING LUNCHEON-MARCH 30, 2016, SIGN UP TODAY Janet Welch will take care of publicity. UMW booklets were handed out. Photo Album-Shirley Hansen volunteered to take care of. April 10-Mission Sunday; Pie Auction to support Beth Stankiewicz on her first mission trip! Dates to Remember March 1 from 4-6, Emma Norton Celebration April 15th, SP Spring Gathering-Lamberton April 16th-Belgrade, North Mankato May 16-UMW UNIT MEETING 2:00 PM Fellowship Hall June 14-Day Apart, Hector UMC June Mission U-St. John s July 16th-One day-st. John s Sept. 24 Southern Prairie Annual Gathering, Waseca FUMC Program Prayer and Self-Denial Pledge-Service-Sandy Voshell FOR WOMEN ONLY HAITI TRIP, SHERRY SCHOLLJEGERDES Respectfully submitted, Shirley Burdick, Secretary

8 Faith United Methodist Church Engage, Equip, and Empower 801 Fourth Ave. NE Waseca, MN Phone: Fax: Non-profit Org Postage Paid Permit 30 Waseca, MN Change Service Requested Monthly Meet-Ups: Elizabeth Circle UMW Elizabeth Circle will meet on Wednesday, March 16th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Kitchen. We will be serving refreshments after the Lenten Service that evening. Mary Circle UMW Mary Circle will meet Tuesday, March 15th, at 1:00 p.m. in the Lakeview Room. Ardella Draheim will host. Ruth Circle UMW Ruth Circle will meet Tuesday, March 8th, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. The location is to be determined.